It’s not all that often that a charity benefit’s headliner shows up for the kickoff party. The patron party, maybe; or, a photo op/meet-and-greet held immediately before or after the main event.

Figure skater Scott Hamilton happened to be in Denver on Aug. 5, the date Colorado Neurological Institute was having a cocktail reception to better acquaint committee members and sponsors with the Sept. 24 dinner at which the Olympic gold medalist would be speaking. So he offered to swing by for a minute to meet such principals as benefit chair Quinn Washington; CNI executive director Tami Lack; auctioneer Shelly St. John; Dr. Edward Arenson, medical director of CNI’s Center for Brain and Spinal Tumors; Debra Bandstra, who will emcee the gala; and presenting sponsor Dean Mills of the Denver Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.

The cocktail gathering was chaired by Sarah Tomicich, corporate controller for AlloSource, and held at BNY Mellon Wealth Management in Cherry Creek North. BNY Mellon Wealth Management’s regional president Jon Stuck is treasurer of the CNI board and was on hand to greet the distinguished guests.

Hamilton is no stranger to Colorado. He lived here for 23 years and it’s where he trained for the Olympics. “I miss Colorado a great deal,” he said, adding that he’s anticipating a “spectacular evening” when he returns for the gala. “Fundraisers like this don’t just raise money, they raise awareness. CNI is a wonderful resource; you are very lucky to have it here in your own back yard.”

Since his time as an Olympian, Hamilton has gone on to act, serve as a network TV commentator, deliver motivational talks, write, and survive both cancer and a brain tumor. “Lately,” he joked, “I’ve become better known for my odd hobby of collecting life-threatening illnesses.”

The gala will be at the Marriott City Center and in addition to Hamilton’s talk will include presentation of the Dawn Denzer Community Leader Award to Linda and Dr. Richard Kelley. He is a past chair of the CNI board.

Quinn Washington, also a member of the CNI board and a vice president at Blacktie-Colorado, said he is chairing the gala as a tribute to the memory of close family friend Joe Franzgrote. The former 9News president was treated there for the progressive supranuclear palsy that eventually took his life.

Washington said he is drawing heavily from his network of young professional friends to help make the event a success. The group includes Garret Hommel, who does business development for Footers Catering; Nicole Gampp; Auna Jornayvaz; Jimmy Melton; Liz Ryan; and Leigh Vadas.

Buy tickets, or learn more about An Evening with Scott Hamilton, by visiting thecni.org or calling Mary Catherine Moss, 303-806-7417.

Study after study has shown that when it comes to charitable fundraisers, Denver has more per capita than any comparably sized city in the nation. Joanne Davidson has been covering them for The Denver Post since 1985, coming here from her native California where she'd spent the previous seven years as San Francisco bureau chief for U.S. News & World Report magazine.